“Tonight as the Governor of Alabama signed into law the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, we all witnessed an attack on the women and moms of America. If the goal of those who are passing such severely restrictive laws was to avoid abortion, then they'd be passing access to free birth control, which is proven to lower abortion rates, not setting lifetime imprisonment laws for doctors who help women in need. Make no mistake: What's really happening is a direct attack on women and moms having bodily autonomy, economic freedom, and sovereignty in our lives.

“Being able to manage how many children we have and when we have them has been nothing short of revolutionary – not just for women and mothers, but for our country as a whole. It has helped to narrow the gender pay gap, improve the health of women and their families, and lead women toward increased economic and political power.

“With 25 million women – one in three women of reproductive age – living in a state in which abortion care could be outlawed if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, America’s moms are going to pull the fire alarm. While abortion care is still legal in our nation right now, we recognize this as the direct attack on women’s bodily autonomy, economic freedom, and sovereignty that it is, and we recognize that its harmful impacts are compounded for those in low-income communities and communities of color. We demand that lawmakers focus on passing paid family/medical leave like every other industrialized nation has done, access to health care including birth control, affordable childcare, equal pay, fair treatment of immigrant families, and an end to the mass incarceration that tears too many families apart -- and not a rollback of our rights.

“We will fight for as long as we must to secure every woman’s rights and freedoms. Most women who get abortion care are mothers, and they do so primarily because it’s best for their families. Alabama’s abortion ban is an attack on America’s moms and, if it takes effect, a terrible blow to families. It must never take effect.”

-Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“Looking back through history, each of us stands on the shoulders of the many giants who came before us in the fight for access to reproductive health care. These brave women opened doors and it is our responsibility not only to keep those doors open, but also to protect and expand freedoms for our daughters and their daughters.

“Any lawmaker who truly wants to reduce the need for abortion will focus on expanding access to free birth control. But that’s not what Alabama’s lawmakers did, nor those in other states that are passing so-called ‘heartbeat’ bills and other laws that ban abortion care. Their real goal is to restrict women’s rights and freedoms.

“Alabama is a state with some of the worst health outcomes for women, and it has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the country. Politicians who say they value life should advocate for policies to solve the public health crises that are killing women and newborns, not dismantle women’s health care. They should support MomsRising’s maternal justice campaign, which is dedicated to creating more equity in access to reproductive health care and includes supporting a woman’s right to choose if, when and how many children to have, along with support during the pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. They should join us in working to address the systemic challenges mothers face due to race, class, and gender disparities.

“Most women who have abortions are moms and all women must be able to make the deeply personal decisions about abortion with dignity and without interference from politicians.”

-Monifa Bandele, Senior Vice President, MomsRising